The newest addition to the longstanding Mac/PC campaign feels like a straw dog in an otherwise stellar campaign. I’ve said before that I consider this campaign from LA-based agency TBWA Chiat Day one of the best in advertising history. Smart. Funny. Brilliantly simple. And perfectly cast.

And I stick by my claim.

But this new spot, entitled “PC Innovation Lab” feels unfair and a bit cruel.

Now, before you start sending in your hate mail and labeling me a PC sympathizer, note that I’m writing this blog entry on my MacBook. When I leave this life, you’ll have to pry my Mac from my cold, dead fingers.

So why am I siding with PCs on this one? Because to suggest that PCs aren’t innovative simply isn’t true.

Granted, PCs live in a fragmented market instead of a single company like Macs, so it’s harder for a PC consumer to track innovation. But to suggest that PCs are stuck in the Stone Age with nothing new to offer comes off as a weak, desperate argument.

Come on, Apple. It feels like you’re running out of things to say. The attack-Vista approach was aggressive, yes, but at least it was true. Vista was a disaster. It made sense to capitalize on that failure. But now that Vista is a non-issue with the new Windows operating system, it feels as if Apple is scrambling to find a chink in PCs armor.